国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

16.  We had lively discussions concerning a Preliminary Report, in which each specialist was to give a Zoo-page account of the essentials in his scientific work in the course of the expedition, together with his most important results. As there were a large number of specialists, and the reports were to be published in both English and Chinese, the Report would have been a very voluminous affair. But this plan went the same way as the suggestion that the expedition should have its own periodical in Peking, devoted solely to the affairs of the expedition. Both the periodical and the report were pious wishes that never got any further than the paper they were written on. There was no further mention of either. When about Christmas 1928 I published my first popular travel-book from the expedition, first in Swedish ( »Ater till Asien ») and afterwards in other languages, including English ( »Across the Gobi Desert ») and Chinese, this book was considered as covering the need for a Preliminary Report.

17.  Some of the agreements mentioned in this paragraph were for practical reasons followed only in part. The principle by which we have been guided has been that the whole of the palaeontological and the prehistoric archaeological material should be published in the famous Chinese scientific journal »Palaeontologia Sinica », while the whole of the remaining material is included in the series of scientific works on the expedition which is being financed by the Swedish state and by private patrons, and to which the present work is the introduction. Dr HvmM L's entomological collections were published, under the editorship of Professor YNGVE SJÖSTEDT, in the Zoological Archive of the Swedish Academy of Sciences at the expense of the academy.

18.  The four meteorological stations that according to my original plan were to be established on the Edsen-gol, in Charchan, in Urumchi and in the Bogdo-ula were at my suggestion to be presented to China at the conclusion of the expedition. This plan was also carried out, and the whole of the instrumental equipment was also handed over to the Chinese. Under the superintendence of the very capable head meteorologist, Dr COCHING CHU in Nanking, the stations would doubtless have become permanent institutions if the civil war in Sinkiang had not put a stop to their activity.

In the above analysis of the nineteen articles of the contract I have shown how the conditions laid down by the Chinese worked out in practice, in our daily work together in the field. Everything turned out in the most satisfactory way, without misunderstandings and without friction, thanks to the good will and the spirit of comradeship that developed between white and yellow during the whole working period of the expedition. That the Chinese claimed for their own museums all the archaeological objects having a direct connection with China's early history was in complete conformity with the legal regulations in all civilized countries. The interest in fossil animals and plants was due to the high international standing of The Geological Survey of China and to the importance of the periodical Palaeonto-

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